Jen Henderson is a journalist breaking news in the capital region. She is a staff reporter at the St. Albert Gazette and covers provincial and federal politics, crime and court.

Mar 15 Missing dog found after four years

It has been more than four years since Grif went missing, but last week the missing dog was reunited with her owner.

On New Year’s Eve four years ago, Kathryn Morrow’s dog Grif was at her best friend JJ’s house and the two of them escaped from the yard. A few neighbourhood kids tried to catch the doggie duo, but a van cab pulled up, snatched the pups and drove away.

Morrow and her sister Jannah Kelley – JJ’s owner – contacted the police, handed out posters, offered rewards and even tried to track down the dognapper themselves but found nothing but dead ends.

“I just was starting to let it go,” Morrow said. “I still have all of her things and I kept her bed. I’ve always been heartbroken but I kind of stopped looking.”

Finally as Morrow was beginning to move on, she woke up on Wednesday morning to three text messages informing her that a dog, who looked just like Grif, was dropped off at Edmonton Animal Care and Control.

“I started to hyperventilate,” Morrow said. “I was beside myself.”

Morrow waited anxiously for several hours for animal control to open that morning. Once she was inside they were reluctant to give her any information because the 10-year-old Brussels Griffon that was turned in was in rough shape.

When they took Morrow in to visit the rescued dog, Morrow began to cry again because she thought the dog didn’t look like Grif.

“She didn’t recognize me and I didn’t even recognize her at first,” Morrow said.

But when Grif turned her head, Morrow got a better look at her and realized it was her long lost furry friend. Grif, on the other hand, didn’t remember Morrow. The puzzled pooch wandered over and sniffed her hand but showed no familiarity with her former friend.

In the four years that the dog was missing, she sustained some substantial injuries. Grif was found on a front step in southwest Edmonton with an elastic band wrapped around her head. Her ear was almost severed off by the band, and there is a deep gash in her neck and sides of her head from the pressure of the tight elastic. She is also malnourished, emaciated, anemic and has a very bad infection. Right now Grif is on antibiotics and on Thursday the pooch will go in for reconstructive ear surgery.

Grif’s cataracts and hearing had also gotten worse in the years she was gone.

“Where she went in these last four years, I have no idea, but she’s here now,” Morrow said.

Grif is now resting at home and her memory has come back. During the drive away from the animal control centre she recognized Morrow and began frantically trying to climb over the centre console to get to her. When Grif got home she laid down in her old bed for a nap.

JJ, a Pekingese cross, is still missing and the sisters have a renewed sense of hope that the dog will be returned. They have started a GoFundMe page to raise money for a reward for the lost dog and to make a donation to the Greater Edmonton Animal Rescue Society. Right now they are hoping to offer $10,000 for the safe return of JJ. To date they have raised $2,690.

Anyone with any information about the missing dog is asked to contact Morrow or Kelley. JJ can be dropped off at the Charwick Hill Animal Hospital or Edmonton Animal Care and Control. The sisters will take JJ back with no questions asked.

To make a donation for JJ’s safe return you can visit www.gofundme.com/bringhomejj and for more information about JJ you can visit the facebook.com/findgrifandjj/